Quick answer: 14 native North Carolina plants have a recorded bloom range that includes February.
14 species
- American elm Ulmus americana · 31 states
- American olive Osmanthus americanus · 8 states
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Carolina jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens · 10 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Loblolly pine Pinus taeda · 18 states
- Longleaf pine Pinus palustris · 10 states
- River birch Betula nigra · 28 states
- Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata · 22 states
- Slippery elm Ulmus rubra · 30 states
- Southern crabapple Malus angustifolia · 14 states
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica · 28 states
February in a North Carolina native garden
February is a quieter month in North Carolina: 14 of the state's 315 native plants flower in February, compared with 205 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
10 start blooming in February, including American elm, American olive and Black willow.
7 of them grow in full or partial sun and 10 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Eastern red columbine to trees such as American elm and American olive. For wildlife, 12 support pollinators, 12 provide food or cover for birds and 8 are caterpillar host plants.
13 of the 14 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Apr
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · Part Shade, Shade (avoid continuous full sun) · blooms Feb-Jul
- American elm Ulmus americana · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Feb-Apr